


Slow Show

by starmachine



Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Bittersweet, Fluff, M/M, Pre-New Institute, Pre-War, Spoilers for MTMTE 38, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-06
Updated: 2015-03-06
Packaged: 2018-03-16 15:54:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3494153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starmachine/pseuds/starmachine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brainstorm works fast, talks loudly, acts boldly.  He loves quietly - but strongly enough to try to defy the nature of time and space.  It was a long time coming, but it was worth it just to see him again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Slow Show

**Author's Note:**

> So we've all got a lot of Brainstorm feelings after MTMTE 38. You can't tell me he was secretly in love with Quark and not expect me to have awful, schmoopy thoughts about Brainstorm pining over him the whole time they knew each other. Pining over one-sided love is like my kryptonite. And then all of this just hit me like a lightning bolt and I was so energized to write for once, so here it is, unbeta'd and all.
> 
> And this is my first thing on AO3 after sitting on this account for 2+ years. Taking the plunge! So yay for progress, no matter how glacial and mediocre it may be.

He didn’t know how much his life would change with his new position.  The priorities of the higher-ups had shifted recently with the murmurs of civil unrest bubbling up from the manual classes and function rejectionists, so government backing had shifted.  Some projects, like reducing air pollution from energon refining, had severe budget cuts, while other certain other areas of study, like Brainstorm’s, weapon tech, were suddenly flush with money.  No official statements were made about the budget changes, but the scientists and technicians all understood what it meant and kept their mouths shut.  _There’s a storm coming, we have to be ready._

Brainstorm didn’t waste his time on contemplating the political and social ramifications right now, he was just happy to be approved for a nice big research grant.  He was already sort of on the out with a lot of his coworkers and bosses for being a flight frame.  _Having a little trouble getting that grant proposal…off the ground, Brainstorm?  I worry you’re not cut out for this.  Maybe try the career counseling center downtown.  I’m sure they’ll find you a nice job where you can be useful…with an alt like yours._

It was fine.  He worked better alone.  And finally getting approved was that much sweeter when he got to rub it in the faces of those naysayers.

_I’m not here to make friends.  I’m here to do what I know I do best._

But still, it was common courtesy to say hello to the scientists stationed around his new office and lab.  And he needed to get the lay of the land, find out who he’d have to keep a wary optic on.

He was organizing his files on his shelves when someone knocked on the doorframe.  He turned to find a white and blue mech lingering by the door.  There was a twitchy, flighty quality to his idle hands that suggested indecision about whether he should be there or not.

“Moving in?”  It was a little hard to tell if it was a question or statement; the mech’s tone was so neutral.

“Yeah.  New project, new equipment, new lab; it’s nice to see someone upstairs finally recognized my genius,” Brainstorm said.  Jokingly.  But not really.

“Of course.”  He couldn’t tell if this guy was playing along with the not-quite-joke. 

The mech glanced down the hallways and rested one hand on the doorframe too carefully to appear as causal as he was trying to be, and added, “I’m Quark, by the way.  Pleasure to meet you.”

Brainstorm came around to shake his hand.  “I’m Brainstorm, good to meet you.  Mind if I ask what your area of study is?”

“Subatomic engineering.  I’m a microscope,” Quark said, gesturing vaguely over his shoulder to the kibble on his back.  “And you?”

Was that a little stab at Brainstorm’s alt?  Noting how his specialty was related to his form? 

_Can’t read this guy’s tone well enough to know if he’s looking down on me.  Irritating._

“Weapon tech.  It’s a wide range, but if anything was made to kill people, I’ve probably studied it.  Or built it.”  Little joke again.  But not really.

_And wait to see if he brings up my alt…they always do._

“Oh.  That’s certainly…been an expanding field lately, hasn’t it?  I think most of the people in this wing are working on something like that.  My own work is so detail-oriented; I usually don’t even know what it’ll be applied to in the long run.   What are you working on right now?”

_Okay, so he didn’t mention the whole you’re-a-jet thing.  That’s…good._

“Current work is Top-Secret, unfortunately.”  _To keep it from snooping coworkers._   “But I’ve got some side projects too.  Always something I’m working on.  Big stuff.  I’ve got a lot of fingers in a lot of oilcakes,” Brainstorm said.  Not to boast.  Okay, maybe to boast.

Quark looked down for a moment, then looked back up and said, “You appear to have an average amount of fingers for an intellect-class mech.  But I could be wrong; some of us do get hand mods, and that would skew the average.”

Brainstorm stared at him.  It was delivered so matter-of-factly, but…an understated smile curved Quark’s mouth.

“Was that a joke?” Brainstorm blurted out.

“Yes.”  Quark shifted his weight and looked down again.  “A friend told me I come off as unapproachable sometimes.  And they always say intellect-class have poor social skills in the first place.  I’m trying to work on that.”

_What the frag…that was so…_

_…cute?_

“I’m sorry, it wasn’t very funny, statistics aren’t good material-“

“No!  No, it was funny.  I was just surprised,” Brainstorm interrupted.  He looked at his hands.  “It was good.  Fingers, heh.”

His spark felt strange.  Fluttery.  But he didn’t feel sick.

_I think I might get on alright with someone for once._

They both were staring at the floor now.  The moment stretched awkwardly; he usually had something snappy to say but nothing was coming to him.

“You’re flight-capable.”

He met Quark’s optics.  He looked…worried?

“Yes, I am.  Jet mode.  But I know what I can do.  I _belong_ here,” Brainstorm straightened up and squared his shoulders.   He’d bulldoze straight over anyone who said otherwise with sheer force of personality and will.

Quark pursued his lips and glanced at the hallway ceiling.  Brainstorm leaned slightly to follow his line of sight to a security camera.

“Just be careful.  These are uncertain times.”  Quark lowered his voice.  “Sometimes I don’t think the cameras are here just for our safety.”

_Let them watch.  They want what I make, so they’ll just have to fragging get over what I am, dirtying up their nice clean forged-only, no-alt-mode-exemptions facility._

“Hey, I can handle it,” Brainstorm said lightly.  “Worse comes to worst, just remember, I make weapons!”  Joke.  But not really. 

Quark looked unsure, so he laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

“Just joking, you know.”

Finally, Quark nodded and smiled.  “Of course.  Well, I do need to get back to my office; I’ve got some molecular circuitry cooling.  I’ll see you around the lobby or café sometime.  Maybe we can have a cube and work on our jokes.”  He shook Brainstorm’s hand again.  It was a good handshake.  Quark had such well-crafted hands.  Most intellect-class mechs do, but Brainstorm felt it was particularly true in this case.

“Sure, that sounds great.”  His mask hid his mouth but he hoped Quark could see the answering smile in his optics.  Not joking.  Not this time.

**Author's Note:**

> So there's going to be a lot of headcanon-y stuff about Quark since we got so little of him in the actual comic (which I have reread and reviewed for thoughts about his personality and such). One such headcanon being that he has a very level, monotone voice when he's not panicked or excited. Because he's visually based on TFA Perceptor, who was voiced by the text-to-speech program Microsoft Sam. 
> 
> So yeah...I do have a couple more scenarios/thoughts I want to expand on as subsequent chapters, so if anyone shows interest in this, I'll do that.
> 
> And the title/chapter title comes from "Slow Show" by The National.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Maybe leave a comment? Even if it's critique.


End file.
